Will the real Wyatt Earp please stand...

When I was a kid I didn't care for the look of the sets in "Spectre Of The Gun" and "The Empath," but as the years passed I grew to appreciate the artistic creativity in both episodes. Having the Vian consoles seemingly hanging in mid air with no visible means of physical support looks like highly advanced tech. The incomplete buildings of the Melkotians' Old West illusion really enhances the surreality of the situation.

Uh, in what alternate universe? LiS was known as what most people expected from sci-fi (silly escapist fantasy) particularly back in the day. At no point was it ever considered "the gold standard" for believable science fiction.

But seriously, Zap, you were kidding about LIS being the gold standard for believable sci-fi. Right?

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Yes, I was kidding. I'm fond of LIS, but that gold standard bit was a joke.

The theory that the tree shadows on both shows were deliberate sounds right. There's even a saying today: when you have a deficiency or shortcoming (i.e., the small size of an indoor planet set), don't try to hide it. Hang a lantern on it and make it into a signature. Balding men shave their heads completely now. The actor who needs glasses wears the biggest, heavy black frames anybody ever saw.

As I understand it the Old West guns were pretty much crap in terms of accuracy, and certainly nothing compared to modern handguns including revolvers.

I think I once saw a Mythbusters segment on this very thing, too.

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There is an entire sport devoted to "cowboy action" shooting. I've seen people shoot a hole in a target and chase multiple shots through the same hole, using the weapon's original fixed sights. A single action cartridge revolver can be tuned to be as accurate as any modern counterpart.

Not saying that anyone actually took time to do that back then, but it is possible.

I think Spectre of the Gun looked fantastic for something that was obvious low budget. It is an example of what you can do with a low budget in a creative way. It is the same with Empath for me. Those two episodes are definitely my favorites in terms of look & atmosphere.

Spectre of the Gun is also my favorite of the alternative world episodes. Well I guess it wasn't pure alternative world because it was all in the mind, but that is why I liked it. Best explanation for doing a genre piece in Star Trek. And not to mention I always felt Trek already had a bit of a Western feel to it.

Another nice thing about the episode is it included Scotty and Chekov instead of some no name character (plus Chekov not Kirk got the girl).

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One of my favorite third-season episodes, had a great Twilight Zone feel to it.

I think Spectre of the Gun looked fantastic for something that was obvious low budget. It is an example of what you can do with a low budget in a creative way. It is the same with Empath for me. Those two episodes are definitely my favorites in terms of look & atmosphere.

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"Spectre" is really a high point in the third season to me, and the surreal setting is a great example of turning a (budgetary) weakness into a strength. I don't think it would have worked as well in terms of alien bizarreness if it had been done on location or a western town backlot.

"The Empath," OTOH... I guess the setting seems alien but it's not enough to overcome its crummy writing, dreary pacing, ambivalent direction and overacting. Yes, I hate it.

There is an entire sport devoted to "cowboy action" shooting. I've seen people shoot a hole in a target and chase multiple shots through the same hole, using the weapon's original fixed sights. A single action cartridge revolver can be tuned to be as accurate as any modern counterpart.

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Probably not as accurate, because the high standards of modern metallurgy in the parts. But certainly accurate enough for what they were used for in the old days, when most handgun "fighting" occurred at too close a range to even use the sights.

"The Empath," OTOH... I guess the setting seems alien but it's not enough to overcome its crummy writing, dreary pacing, ambivalent direction and overacting. Yes, I hate it.

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I feel the complete opposite about the Empath. It is one of my favorites not just from the 3rd season but the entire series in general.

The overall look of the episode is just one thing I love. My favorite thing about it is actually how the relationship & friendship of the main 3 are portrayed. And at least in terms of Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley I think the acting was great. But that is just my opinion.